The Secret Love Song
by jolly roger brat
Summary: James is intrigued by Royal Prep's singing contest, but he only sings in his room in the castle. How can he woo a certain shy princess if he never sings to anyone else?
1. Singing and Guys' Night

The school day was almost over at Royal Prep. Everybody was in the auditorium for an assembly when Miss Flora, Miss Fauna, and Miss Merriweather came in.

As usual, Miss Flora got right to the point. "Children, we have very exciting news. It's time for Royal Prep's annual singing contest and talent show."

"I remember last year," fourteen-year-old Sofia murmured to her fifteen-year-old Amber, "You played your harp and I danced. We didn't win first prize, but we still had a lot of fun."

Even though she inwardly shuddered at the memory of them winning third place, Amber managed a smile. "Yes we did. Want to team up again this year?"

As Sofia nodded, some of the princes were also talking amongst themselves.

"What do you want to do this year?" a fifteen-year-old Prince Desmond asked.

"If you think I'm repeating my act from last year, forget it," a sixteen-year-old Prince Hugo muttered. "James and I paired up and we did that juggling thing. It was a disaster!"

"Because you got stage fright?" a sixteen-year-old Prince Zandar joked.

"No; it was my fault. I'm normally great at juggling, but I just got distracted that day," a fifteen-year-old Prince James admitted.

"You? The self-proclaimed King of Fun? What could possibly distract you?" Hugo asked.

James didn't answer. He remembered that he had seen someone in the audience smiling up at him, and it had made him lose his concentration. And ever since that day, he couldn't get her sympathetic gaze or sweet smile out of his mind.

The boys were brought back to reality by Miss Fauna. "Now, if you want to sing for the talent show, please give us a copy of your music. All entries must be turned in at the end of next week."

"Flying derby may be for everyone, but singing is still a princess thing," Hugo muttered as they left school for the weekend. **(A/N: Remember in the Princess Things song where Amber sings about "singing wistfully in windowsills?")**

James, however, smirked. "Oh, really? Then why don't you and the guys come over to the castle tonight and put your money where your mouth is?"

That night, James, Desmond, Hugo, and Zandar were in James' room at Enchancia Castle. James brought out a large box and several microphones. He inserted a small disc into a slot in the top of the box and pushed a button as he handed the microphones out. "Singing is just a princess thing, huh, Hugo? Well, what do you say about this?

_Just a small town girl  
Livin' in a lonely world  
She took the __midnight train goin' anywhere_

Hugo smirked. "What do I say about it? You're lucky I like this song!"  
He joined in, _Just a city boy  
Born and raised in south Detroit  
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

Desmond and Zandar grinned as they took up their microphones.

Desmond started, _A singer in a smoky room  
A smell of wine and cheap perfume_

Zandar continued, _For a smile they can share the night  
It goes on and on and on and on_

Then they all sang together, _Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching in the night  
Streetlights people  
Living just to find emotion  
Hiding somewhere in the night_

Hugo started the next verse, _Working hard to get my fill  
Everybody wants a thrill  
Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time_

Zandar went again, _Some will win, some will lose  
Some were born to sing the blues_

Desmond joined in again, _Oh, the movie never ends  
It goes on and on and on and on_

Then they all sang together, _Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching in the night_

_Streetlight people  
Living just to find emotion  
Hiding somewhere in the night_

_Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people_

_Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people_

_Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people_

Everyone applauded their rendition of the song. "Where did you get that anyway?" Desmond asked.

"Aunt Tilly gave this to the family as a thank you gift after Mom and Dad hosted her and Sir Bartelby's wedding," James explained, "It's called a karaoke machine. Mom and Dad actually don't use this very often, but since I actually like it, they gave it to me."

"We actually have karaoke machines in our kingdom," Hugo spoke up. He then looked embarrassed as everyone looked at him with knowing smirks and grins. "Okay, so singing's not just a princess thing. My brother Axel and I go into town with our dad sometimes on the weekends, and while he's talking with his friends in taverns, Axel and I sing. We actually got a standing ovation last week!"

"So, is anyone up for another song?" Zandar asked.

As the boys nodded and began hunting through the box, James' mind began to wander. He knew what he wanted to do for the talent show, and he knew how much she'd like hearing him perform, but there was a small thing stopping him: singing in public. As he thought back to that long-ago day when he last had to sing before a crowd, a lump rose in his throat and his eyes misted. He coughed and brushed a hand across his eyes as his friends looked up.

"James? Are you okay?" Desmond asked.

"What? Oh, yeah. The box is just a little dusty," James covered for himself.

His friends looked concerned for a moment, but then they shrugged and resumed digging through the box.

_'How will I impress her if I can't sing in front of everyone?' _James thought as he found another song. The thought was lost as Desmond went up for his first solo song.

**Author's note: The first chapter of my first Sofia fanfic is finally up! Also, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey is not mine. Please read and review!**


	2. Mystery at Girls' Night

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. And one of you was right; this is a modern day story, since the karaoke machine James has was invented in the 1970s. Sorry; I forgot to mention that last time.**

As they listened to the boys singing, Sofia, Amber, and a few of their friends were having their own sleepover. They were also inducting two new princesses into their circle of friends.

"I love that song!" Amber smiled.

"So do I," a fifteen-year-old Ruby grinned. "My dad sang that with my mom when they were first dating."

"I've caught my mom and dad dancing to that before," a fourteen-year-old Jade agreed.

"Who'd have believed it? Princess Amber likes rock and roll?" a fifteen-year-old Princess Hildegard joked.

"Everyone is entitled to their favorite style of music, Hildi," a fifteen-year-old Princess Cleo commented.

"And besides, Hildegarde, don't you like that song…how does it go again…" Sofia started singing the chorus of one of Hildegarde's favorite songs,  
"_Blame it on your lying, cheating,  
Cold deadbeating  
Two-timing, double dealing  
Mean mistreating, loving heart!" _

"Okay, you got me. Freezenberg has a lot of great country songs, even if it's a northern country that plays southern music," Hildegarde conceded. "And I sang that last year at the talent show."

"You want to talk about great music, then you should hear some of the songs from our castle," their new friend, fifteen-year-old Princess Sandra spoke up, then she sang part of one of her favorite songs.  
_"__Carefree highway, got ta see you my old flame  
__Carefree highway, you seen better days  
The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes  
Carefree highway, let me slip away  
Slip away on you."_

"Yay!" Sandra's eight-year-old sister, Princess Zoe, applauded. As the youngest in the group, the girls had taken her under their wings.

"Thank you, Zoe. Now, what are we going to do about this talent show?" Sandra asked.

"I guess once the boys are done with the karaoke machine, we can ask if we can use it," Sofia suggested.

"But will we be able to tear James away from it long enough for us to use it?" Amber asked.

"James sings?" a thirteen-year-old Princess Mae asked in surprise. She understood that James loved all sorts of fun things, but in all the time she knew him, she never once heard him sing.

"Yes, Mae, James sings," Amber replied. Suddenly, she got a strange look on her face. "But only in his room. He swore that after the last time he had to sing in public, he'd only limit singing to where nobody could hear him."

"What happened?" Jade asked.

"I'm sorry; James made me promise not to tell anyone. He has his own reasons for not singing in public, and I don't want to get into them. Maybe when he's ready he'll tell you," Amber looked sad for a moment, then she brightened. "But enough about that. What should we do now?"

"Nails!" Zoe spoke up, going over to Amber's makeup table.

"Sure, you can do her nails," Sandra nodded. "Just not mine. Sorry, ladies; I don't like the feel of nail polish or the smell of nail polish remover."

"That's okay, Sandra; I'm not partial to that either," Sofia assured her. "Would you like to meet some of my other friends?"

"Okay," Sandra nodded. She turned to her sister. "Zoe, don't touch anything in here unless Amber gives you permission, okay?"

"Okay!" Zoe nodded.

As Sofia and Sandra walked off, Sofia was lost in thought. Why didn't James sing in public? He had a nice voice, and everyone would enjoy hearing him. She heard him singing with the karaoke machine Aunt Tilly gave the family, but it was always behind his door. Also, the music was never very loud. He claimed he didn't want to disturb anybody, but the machine wasn't even near the throne room or Roland's study. So, Sofia wondered, what was going on?

**Author's Notes: Princesses Sandra and Zoe are my own creations.  
The "Yes, Mae, James sings" is parodied from the "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"  
Gordon Lightfoot's Carefree Highway and Patty ****Loveless's Blame It On Your Heart are not mine.**

**And oooh, the plot of why James never singing in public thickens! **


	3. Secrets Come Out

**Once more, I'd like to thank everyone for their great reviews. In this chapter, I'd like to thank Niagara14301 for letting me borrow the spell that Sofia and Lucinda use to charm pendants with the ability to talk to animals, and the village of Wendarby, where Lucinda's birth estate is. I'd also like to thank blossom2014 for letting me use Princess Madeline, who instead of being Sofia's sister, will be a friend of hers.**

As Sofia and Sandra went out, they were joined by Sofia's friends Clover, Mia, Robin, and Whatnaught. "Wait up, Princess!" Clover called out to her.

Since Sandra couldn't hear him, she watched as Sofia stroked him. Sofia then introduced her to her friends. Sandra nodded and stroked Clover as well. She also reached into her pocket and took out some of the cake that she and the other girls had been eating.

"You've got a way with animals, Sandra," Sofia commented as she watched her feed Clover.

"Thanks. Zoe and I have pets of our own too," Sandra said as she brushed some of the cake crumbs off her blue jacket and blouse, then straightened her white skirt as she rose.

"Really?" Sofia looked surprised.

"That's right. I have a cat named Ambre, and Zoe and our brother Zeke have a dachshund named Spike," Sandra explained.

"Zeke? Oh, you mean Ezekiel," Sofia nodded, remembering Zoe and Sandra's eighteen-year-old brother.

Clover scoffed. "Spike? And why did you name your cat after Amber?"

"She said ahm-bray, not Amber," Robin whispered.

Sandra, of course, couldn't hear the conversation. Luckily, she didn't have to reply either way, because she and Sofia heard a voice call out to them. "Sofia! Sandra!"

"Lucy! Maddie!" Sofia called.

Sofia's fourteen-year-old sister Lucinda, and their friend, eight-year-old Madeline, who was in Zoe's grade at Royal Prep, came up and hugged her. "I was just showing Madeline around Wendarby. I wanted to do it earlier, but she had that cold and I wanted to let her rest."

"That's all right. I'm glad she finally got to see it," Sofia replied.

"Yeah. And Lucy was telling me about a surprise she had for one of her friends," Madeline spoke up.

"What is it?" Sofia asked.

"Sandra, would you let me borrow your necklace for a minute? Normally, I cast this spell on a pendant, but since your necklace has a crystal in it, this should work," Lucinda replied.

"When in doubt, improvise," Sandra half-jokingly said as she undid the clasp.

As Sofia smiled when she recognized a saying that the Royal Inventor, Gwen, often used, Lucinda pointed her wand at Sandra's necklace. _"Gema Infusia Amina Comana Fa Ta Noctoe,"_ she chanted. The crystal glowed for a moment, then the light faded.

When Lucinda put the necklace around Sandra's neck again, the purple crystal glowed for a moment, then faded. "What's going on?" she asked.

"That's the pendant's way of getting to know you," Lucinda explained.

"Neat," Sandra nodded.

"I asked Lucinda to make another pendant like that for Zoe," Madeline piped up, handing her a small pouch.

"Oh, Spike's days of getting into trouble are numbered!" Sandra grinned as she put the pouch in her pocket. "And it looks like we're really two of the girls now, since you said that you gave all your friends pendants that let them talk to animals."

"That's right. And I thought you deserved a reward for helping me with that creative writing assignment," Lucinda agreed.

"Anything for a friend," Sandra replied. She then turned to Clover with a grin. "Now, Clover, let's you and me talk. And by talk I mean..."

"What—Sofia!" Clover yelped as Sandra picked him up. She started scratching him behind the ears, then all the girls joined her in petting him.

The next afternoon, when their friends had gone home, James was walking down to the ballroom. In one hand, he had the karaoke machine, and in the other, a CD.

"James!" Sofia called out, catching up to him.

"Oh. Hey, Sof," James sounded surprised.

"What are you doing?" Sofia asked.

"Just getting some extra dance practice in. I know I had trouble with Popov's last 'So You Think You Can Waltz' challenge, but at least he gave us the weekend to practice before he started the competition again," James replied as he set everything up.

"Can I join you?" Sofia asked.

"Sure. Just give me a second," James said as he started the music. He took her in his arms and began to sing.

_I've been alive forever  
And I wrote the very first song  
I put the words and the melodies together  
I am music  
And I write the songs_

Sofia grinned as she moved around the floor with James. It was so nice to hear him sing outside his room at last.

As James sang the chorus, he couldn't help but think about how pretty Sofia looked in her white blouse, purple skirt and shoes, and how the amulet around her neck sparkled.

_I write the songs that make the whole world sing  
I write the songs of love and special things  
I write the songs that make the young girls cry  
I write the songs, I write the songs_

Suddenly, Amber came in, having heard the singing. James smiled and switched partners so that she could join them. He thought that she looked really nice in her yellow skating dress and matching shoes.

_My home lies deep within you  
And I've got my own place in your soul  
Now when I look out through your eyes  
I'm young again, even though I'm very old_

Hearing the music, Roland and Miranda entered the room. Roland took Miranda in his arms and moved across the floor with her.

_I write the songs that make the whole world sing  
I write the songs of love and special things  
I write the songs that make the young girls cry  
I write the songs, I write the songs_

James didn't notice them as he took both Sofia and Amber and spun them. He was also lost in thought. In his mind's eye, he was dancing with his dream girl. The pink dress she wore was perfect on her, her long black hair swayed around her, and her brown eyes sparkled in the light.

_Oh, my music makes you dance and gives you spirit to take a chance  
And I wrote some rock 'n roll so you can move  
Music fills your heart, well that's a real fine place to start  
It's from me, it's for you  
It's from you, it's for me  
It's a worldwide symphony_

Miranda smiled as she listened to him. She'd never heard him sing outside his room, and James had a very nice voice.

_I write the songs that make the whole world sing  
I write the songs of love and special things  
I write the songs that make the young girls cry  
I write the songs, I write the songs_

_I write the songs that make the whole world sing  
I write the songs of love and special things  
I write the songs that make the young girls cry  
I write the songs, I write the songs_

_I am music and I write the songs_

"James, that was wonderful!" Miranda smiled as she came up to him and gave him a hug. "I've never heard you sing outside your room before. You should do it more often!"

James froze in her arms as he realized what he had done. He had just broken his own rule: never sing in public, especially after what had happened the last time. He pulled away from Miranda and ran out of the ballroom.

"What happened? I thought he sounded great," Sofia looked confused.

Roland and Amber looked at each other. It was time Sofia and Miranda knew the truth. "Let's go find James," Roland suggested as he picked up the karaoke machine.

Roland knocked on James' door. "James?"

"Go away!" they heard a muffled voice shout.

Roland opened the door. "I can't do that," he said as he and the family came in.

James was huddled on his bed. His face was buried in his arms. His pet baboon, Eddie Monkey, was patting his shoulders, which were shaking with sobs. He had the hood of his green sweatshirt over his head to hopefully muffle the sounds.

"James, what's wrong?" Miranda asked as she took him in her arms. She pushed the hood down and smoothed his hair.

"It happened again. I promised myself it would _never_ happen again, and it happened again," James groaned as he buried his face in Miranda's neck.

"James, what's going on?" Sofia asked, patting his back.

"You may as well tell them, Dad," James said at last.

Roland sighed sadly as he sat next to him. "This happened a few months before you and Miranda came, Sofia. My wife, James and Amber's mother, Queen Melinda, had a terminal illness. The day she died, one of her last requests was for James and Amber to sing at her funeral. James inherited her love of singing and music, and he practiced for a long time. On the day of the funeral, James had lost his voice. He had practiced so much and now he couldn't sing. He was so embarrassed and upset about not being able to say a proper goodbye to his mother, that when his voice came back, he swore he'd never sing in public again."

"Oh, James…" Miranda sighed, hugging him. "You don't have to feel that way now."

"Of course I do! I let myself and everyone down!" James moaned. He recalled that he and Amber had gone up to the front when it was time for them to sing. The music started, and since James was starting, he opened his mouth…and found that he could only whisper. He ran off in embarrassment and listened in the back as Amber sang the whole song. Afterward, he spent a long time at his mother's grave in silent tears, wordlessly apologizing for being unable to sing for her. And it was there that he made his vow never to sing in public again, but only limit it to his room.

As they comforted him, James' mind wandered for a second time. Now that the secret was out, what was he going to do? He wanted to sing to Vivian in the talent show, but how could he face the embarrassment again?

**Author's Notes: **

**Prince Ezekiel, Ambre (pronounced like the Spanish word hombre) the cat, and Spike the dachshund are my own creations.**

**The "So You Think You Can Waltz" challenge is taken from a line Professor Popov used in the Sofia the First movie, and the show "So You Think You Can Dance". **

**Barry Manilow's _I Write the Songs _is not mine. **

**I also made up the name of James and Amber's mother. **

**I couldn't remember what James' pet baboon's name was so I just called him Eddie Monkey (obvious parody of Eddie Money). **

**Also, girl with long dark hair and a pink dress? Yes, James is thinking about Vivian! **

**One more thing, the mystery of why James never sings in public is solved.**


	4. Preparing and Disguises

**Sorry to keep everyone waiting, but I've had a lot going on over the past few weeks. I've been going out of town, which didn't give me time to write, and I've had a few computer issues that needed to be taken care of, not to mention having writer's block. But now, I'm happy to be back and even happier to bring all you wonderful readers the next chapter of my story.**

When she learned about James' reason for never singing in public, Sofia wanted to do everything she could to help her brother re-discover his love of singing, but she found herself conflicted about doing that, and about wanting to help honor the promise he made himself never to sing in public again.

"Sofia!" Amber called, interrupting her thoughts.

"Amber! What's going on?" Sofia asked.

"I found a song we could do together. I also had an idea about how we could perform, and practice it," Amber said as she held up a CD.

"How?" Sofia asked.

"We can record ourselves singing it, and have the door open so everyone can hear it. James will love it so much that he'll _have_ to sing with us!" Amber replied.

"But then we'll have to record another copy of just the two of us, since you want to do this with me for the singing contest," Sofia pointed out.

"Oh...you're right," Amber sighed. "Well, I'm not giving up. I know James loves singing, and he shouldn't stop doing something important to him."

"What song did you want to do?" Sofia changed the subject. When she saw the CD, she said, "Oh, Mom loves this movie!"

"That's from a movie?" Amber looked surprised.

"Yes! We always sang songs from movies as we worked in the shop, and this was one of her favorites," Sofia smiled as she recalled how customers always threw in extra coins when she and Miranda sang as they worked.

"So what do you say, Sofia? This one together?" Amber asked.

"It's perfect!" Sofia said as she started the song and hit the record button.

_It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide  
I don't have much money, but boy if I did  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live_

Amber smiled as she joined in, _If I was a sculptor, but then again, no  
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show  
I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do  
My gift is my song, and this one's for you_

_And you can tell everybody this is your song  
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done_

She and Sofia sang together, _I hope you don't mind,  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is now you're in the world_

James heard Sofia and Amber recording their entry for the contest. They sounded nice together, and he thought they had a really good chance of winning.

Seeing him outside the door, Amber smiled as she sang, _I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss  
Well, a few of the verses, well, they've got me quite cross  
But the sun's been quite bright while I wrote this song  
It's for people like you that keep it turned on_

Sofia also saw him and smiled as she sang, _So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do  
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue  
Anyway the thing is what I really mean  
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen_

She then took the first part of the chorus, _And you can tell everybody this is your song  
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done_

Then she and Amber finished the song together, _I hope you don't mind,  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

_I hope you don't mind,  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

"Great job, Sof! Nice singing, Amber!" James said as he came in and the song ended.

"Does this mean you'll sing something too?" Sofia asked hopefully.

"I don't know…you know how I am about this," James looked uneasy.

"You do know our mother never really held you to this 'I'm never singing in public again' thing, right?" Amber asked.

"I'm sorry…I just can't…" James walked away before they could see him break down. Unfortunately, when he turned away, tears rolled down his face. He was thankful to reach his room before it got worse.

"James, are you okay?" Eddie Monkey asked as he sat down next to him and wiped his tears away. Like the girls' amulets, James' badge let him talk to animals.

"Eddie, what can I do? I want to sing to Vivian, but you know how I am about singing in public. I want to tell her how I feel, but I don't know how," James sighed.

Suddenly Eddie spotted something. The badge on James' shirt glowed. "Does that happen all the time?" he asked.

"No…but Sofia and Lucinda told me about this," James said as he looked at it.

He looked up, and saw that he and Eddie weren't alone. A man wearing a fez, vest, and baggy pants was in the room with him. On his shoulder was a small monkey who also had a fez and vest.

"Aladdin?" James asked. "Where did you come from?"

"Your badge summoned me," Aladdin replied. "When one prince needs help, another comes and gives it to him. And you're in luck; Abu and I are here to help you."

"Brilliant!" James cheered. He then remembered something. "Wait a minute. My sisters Sofia and Amber said they met Princess Jasmine when we went to Tangu a few years ago, and she helped them when they were trapped."

"That's right. Jasmine told me about how she helped them, and now Abu and I are here for you," Aladdin said again. "Now, what's going on?"

James told Aladdin everything, from how he wanted to sing to Vivian, but he wasn't sure about doing that since he made the promise to himself.

"You can still sing to her," Aladdin assured him. "I remember that when I first met Jasmine, people kept telling me to just be myself. I didn't listen at first, because I was disguised as a prince so I could get close to her. But as time went on, I learned that she loved me for who I was, not what I was wearing."

James suddenly looked interested when he heard the word 'disguise'. "And that worked?" he asked, hoping that Aladdin knew he was paying attention to the advice he was giving.

"Yes it did. I learned to just be myself, and Jasmine and I married. Just remember, James, be yourself, and she'll love you no matter what," Aladdin said as he picked up Abu, who was showing a keen interest in James' collection of shiny trophies, then they waved and disappeared.

"Yeah…I'll do that. Thanks for the talk, Aladdin!" James said as he and Eddie were left alone. A disguise was such a great idea, and he thought of what he could wear, since she'd never seen it.

James made his way down to the knights' barracks and knocked on the door. He hoped this plan would work, but at least Aladdin had given him some good ideas. First he'd try the disguise, then he'd tell Vivian the truth.

As he'd hoped, it was Sir Finnegan who answered. "Little Prince!" he greeted him, calling James by the nickname he'd given him when they first met. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you still have my squire outfit?" James asked.

"I do indeed," Sir Finnegan said as he handed it to him, "but we aren't going into battle, and there's no knighting ceremony or Shield of Valor ceremony coming up that I know of. So why do you need it?"

"It's part of my costume for a performance at school," James explained, then he told the knight about Vivian, and how he wanted to sing to her.

"Ah, young love," Sir Finnegan smiled as he recalled some of the ladies he'd wooed over the years. "She's a lucky lady to know that you care so much about her, but you shouldn't have to resort to disguises. When you see her, tell her how you feel."

James didn't want to tell Sir Finnegan that he'd just had this conversation, so he said, "I'll keep that in mind, Sir Finnegan. And thanks again!"

Back in the castle, James managed to get the squire outfit to his room without anyone seeing him. "Okay…costume's all set…now, a mask," he mused. "Madame Colette could probably make something for me, but what color?" After a moment of indecision, he went down to the royal dressmaker with the idea of black, because Amber had told him that one could do anything with that color. He didn't know that she and Lucinda were following him as he knocked on Madame Colette's door.

"Prince James! What brings you here?" Madame Colette asked.

"Can you make a black mask for me?" James asked.

"Why would James need a mask?" Amber asked.

"We can always ask him," Lucinda suggested. Suddenly, she got a mischievous look on her face. "Or…Amber, follow my lead."

Meanwhile, Madame Colette had found a strip of black cloth. "Will this work for you?"

"Brilliant!" James cheered.

"Good. I'll tie it and mark the spot for the eyes," Madame Colette said as she tied it in place. She picked up a piece of chalk and said, "Now hold still."

James nodded, then kept his head still as Madame Colette began filling in the eyes. Suddenly, she heard, "Madame Colette, we need you!"

"One moment, Prince James," she said as she left the room.

A few moments passed, and James looked up when he heard footsteps. He started to remove the cloth, but someone twisted his hands behind him. "What's going on?! Who's there?" he shouted.

"Why do you need a mask?" he heard Amber's voice.

"I need a mask. So what?" he asked, looking around for his sister.

"Wrong answer. Now you pay for it! _Rictusempra!"_ Lucinda's voice came from somewhere in front of him.

James felt something hit him in the chest, and he fell laughing to the ground as Lucinda's Tickling Charm took effect.

"We'll ask again, James: why do you need a mask?" Amber asked as she and Lucinda pinned him down and started tickling him themselves.

"Stop! I can't tell you!" James laughed, trying to squirm away.

"James, you know we'll find out sooner or later!" Lucinda scolded playfully.

"Later sounds good…DAD!" James yelled, hearing the king and queen out in the hall.

"Excuse me, Miranda…girls, you know you shouldn't do this," he heard Roland's voice from the door.

"Thank you!" James gasped out, trying to locate him as he heard him enter the room.

"You didn't let me finish," Roland grinned, even though he knew James wouldn't be able to see him. "Girls, you know you shouldn't do this…without me!" And he joined their game.

"James, did I mention that the spell only gets stronger if more people join us?" Lucinda half joked when she heard James yelling for help.

"What are you…oh, Rollie, you're as bad as they are…and no thank you, Amber, I think I'll just watch," Miranda couldn't help but laugh when she saw what they were doing and saw Amber motion for her to join them.

A moment later, Madame Colette returned to her studio. She saw the queen, wearing an amused smile as she looked into the room, and followed her gaze, only to find James laughing on the floor, and Amber, Roland, and Lucinda kneeling over him, their fingers moving all over his body. "What is going on?"

"Nothing!" Roland and Amber chorused as they felt James twitching under their fingers.

"And by nothing they mean_ Finite Incantatem!"_ Lucinda ended the spell. She, Roland, and Amber were all grinning as they let James up.

"We'll let you get back to whatever you and James were doing, Madame Colette. You were probably just helping him with something," Roland said. He tousled James' hair, then he and the girls left.

When the mask was done, James went back to his room. He made sure that nobody was around, then he tried on the complete costume. "Looks good," he mused as he looked in the mirror. "Now I can sing to Vivian, and she'll never know it's me. And I think I know just the song…"

**Author's Notes**

**First, thanks to Niagara14301 for suggesting _Your Song _by Elton John for Sofia and Amber. And I agree with something Amber said about it: I didn't know this was from a movie either, but it's from Moulin Rouge and sung by Ewan Macgregor.**

**_Rictusempra _****and _Finite Incantatem _are from Harry Potter**

**Sir Finnegan is the knight James was a squire for in The Silent Knight**

**Madame Colette was the Royal Dressmaker in Four's a Crowd**

**The reprimand of doing something sooner or later and choosing to do it later is from The Shy Princess**

**The idea of James' badge summoning princes is also courtesy of Niagara14301, and I thought Aladdin would be a good choice to talk to James about using disguises and being himself (and I have to add it as well, even though the Genie isn't in this story, Rest In Peace, Robin Williams).**


	5. A Chance Duet for a Secret Singer

**Hello everyone! Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for: James and Vivian have a duet! Also, for this chapter, I'd like to thank Niagara14301 for letting me borrow everyone's favorite mean girl princess, Princess Deidre.**

On Monday, James anxiously walked into the music class. He never sang, of course, but played the piano and ran the sound board in the back of the room instead. He obviously knew the songs the students sang, but dreaded being called on to fill in for someone if they were to perform.

However, there was someone different at the front today. "Hello, everyone!" she greeted the class. "I'm Miss Kelly. Your regular teacher's sick, so I thought we'd do something fun and have a karaoke day." As she spoke, she pulled out a karaoke machine. "Who'd like to go first?"

To everyone's surprise, fourteen-year-old Vivian raised her hand. "I'll go first...if someone sings with me," she said quietly.

"I know just the person to sing with you!" Zandar called. He went to the back and pulled James up.

"Zandar, what are you doing?! I can't sing in public!" James whispered.

Since Zandar didn't know James' reason for never singing in public, he just scoffed, "Yeah, right, James; you can't sing in public. Come on, this'll be fun!"

Feeling like he'd been put on the spot, James tried to make the best of the situation. He gulped, took a deep breath, faced Vivian, and started the song.  
_Don't go changing, to try and please me  
You never let me down before  
Don't imagine you're too familiar  
And I don't see you anymore_

Vivian took the next part, _I would not leave you in times of trouble  
We never could have come this far_

James actually grinned as he sang with her, _I took the good times, I'll take the bad times  
I'll take you just the way you are_

As they sang, Vivian smiled. James had such a nice voice, and she wondered why he'd never sung before. This actually reminded her of the "Dream Castle" presentation she and Sofia had done when she sang in front of the class, and everyone had loved it.

She took the next verse, _Don't go trying some new fashion  
Don't change the color of your hair  
You always have my unspoken passion  
Although I might not seem to care_

James took the next part of the verse, _I don't want clever conversation  
I never want to work that hard_

He and Vivian sang together, _I just want someone that I can talk to  
I want you just the way you are._

At first, James wanted to get revenge on Zandar for making him do this, but as the song went on, he found that he was able to forgive him. He knew that music was part of Royal Prep's curriculum, so he _had_ to sing in public. He still sent up a silent apology to his mother just the same.

Vivian smiled as she started the bridge. _I need to know that you will always be  
The same old someone that I knew_

James caught her gaze and smiled back, turning the same shade of pink as Vivian's dress as he sang the next part. _What will it take till you believe in me  
The way that I believe in you._

Vivian smiled as she sang, _I said I love you and that's forever  
And this I promise from the heart _

She squeezed his hand as they sang together again, _I couldn't love you any better  
I love you just the way you are._

"Way to go, lover boy!" Zandar whispered during the instrumental break.

With an embarrassed smile, and feeling his cheeks burn at the comment, James started the last verse, _I don't want clever conversation  
I never want to work that hard_

Then he and Vivian sang together,_ I just want someone that I can talk to  
I want you just the way you are._

Before she sat down, Vivian kissed James on the cheek, making him turn even redder as she whispered, "Thanks for singing with me."

"James, that was awesome!" Zandar whooped when the song was done.

"Yeah…awesome…" James looked a little dazed.

"James, your face is all red. Are you okay?" Desmond asked.

"I'm fine, Des…" James said faintly as he went back to the sound table.

Later, when class ended, the students were still complimenting James and Vivian on their duet.

James just smiled and excused himself, walking down the hall until he saw one of three people he'd wanted to talk to since he got to school. "Miss Merriweather!" he called.

"Yes, Prince James? What can I do for you?" Miss Merriweather asked.

James reached into his pocket and produced a CD. "I want to give you this. It's my song for the singing contest, but I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing. You can tell Miss Flora and Miss Fauna, but other than that, can you keep this to yourselves?"

Miss Merriweather grinned. "Oooh, mysterious. I like it! And we can keep your secret. I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll sign you up as 'The Secret Singer', and whenever you're ready, you can tell the audience who you are."

"Brilliant!" James grinned. He hoped Vivian would like the song he sang. It was one he hadn't done in a while. He'd even waited until everyone had gone to bed before he made his recording.

As James walked off, another princess was coming out of the music room and frowning. Seventeen-year-old Deidre of Hythoria was incredibly jealous. She always said that she was the best singer in school, and there was no way she'd be upstaged by two people in her class, especially one who, as she happened to overhear before he started singing, claimed he couldn't sing in public. As she signed up for the contest, she read the list of people who had signed up as well, saw that there was a mystery performer, and as she heard the fairies excitedly discussing "The Secret Singer", she became even angrier. (A few people had signed up after James had, so she couldn't tell when the mysterious singer had entered.)

She found her boyfriend, Prince Ezekiel, and told him everything. "What do you want me to do? I don't like it when people sing either, but Sandra and Zoe won't listen to me," he told her.

"I may have an idea," Deidre started, then she saw someone coming toward them. "Axel!"

The person kept walking, like they hadn't heard her, so Deidre caught his shoulder. "Axel, do you want to have some fun?"

It wasn't Axel that Deidre had caught, but Ezekiel's own sister Sandra, who was in a fencing outfit, having just come from Weapons Proficiency. She had never liked Deidre, and she had a feeling that she was up to no good. And if she was involving Zeke in one of her schemes, she wanted to know what was going on. She coughed and cleared her throat a few times, hoping to fool them by disguising her voice, but she was still glad they didn't recognize her. "What kind of fun?" she asked, her voice now sounding raspy.

"What's with your voice?" Ezekiel asked.

"I guess I overdid it yelling in class," Sandra whispered. "What kind of fun do you have in mind? Team up and sing something for the singing contest when my voice comes back?"

"No, _I'm _the best singer in school, and everyone knows it," Deidre scoffed. "I heard the fairies talking about a mystery singer in the show just now. Nobody knows who it is. Want to help us unmask them?"

_'Contrary to popular belief, Deidre, you're the worst singer in school. You're on probation in the choir because of your rotten attitude, and now you're taking it out on everyone?' _Sandra thought. _'You and Zeke deserve each other!' _She whispered, "My baby bro's going to be singing in this contest, as if you forgot," (She was glad she remembered Hugo's nickname, and she smiled to herself as she recalled that he had asked her to sing with him.) "And if you think I'm going to ruin this for him, you're out of your mind."

"All right, Ax, more fun for us," Ezekiel said as he and Deidre walked off.

When they were gone, Sandra took her fencing mask off. "I need to warn Hugo and Axel right now!" She turned quickly and bumped into Miss Flora.

"Oh, dear! Are you all right, Princess Sandra?" Flora asked as she steadied her.

"Sorry, Miss Flora. I'm okay," Sandra nodded. She then turned serious. "Do you know where Prince Hugo or Prince Axel are?"

"Prince Hugo is in his woodworking class, and Prince Axel is helping in the children's wing today," Flora replied.

"Oh, that's right. Axel's helping in Zoe's Formal Letter Writing for Beginners class," Sandra recalled how excited her sister had been to have a guest in her class, and she breathed a sigh of relief that Ezekiel had forgotten that, and that Deidre didn't know about that.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Flora asked.

"Not really, and it's a long story," Sandra said as she went off toward the woodworking class.

In the woodworking class, the students were just getting ready to start when the teacher, Sir Eric, heard a knock on the door. "Hello, Princess! What can I do for you?" he asked, seeing Sandra outside.

"Hello, Sir Eric. May I please speak to Prince Hugo for a few minutes?" Sandra asked.

"Of course," Sir Eric motioned for Hugo to go with her.

Out in the hall, Hugo asked, "What's wrong?" he then saw her in a fencing outfit and holding a fencing mask, and looked confused. "And I thought you had Enchanted Gardening, not Weapons Proficiency."

"First, you know how sensitive I am when it comes to certain smells, like flowers, so I switched classes. Besides, I've always been interested in sword fighting since I watch our knights, and they've given me private lessons since I was thirteen," Sandra started. "Second, wait until you hear about this." And she told Hugo about the conversation between Ezekiel, Deidre, and herself.

"You're kidding!" Hugo gasped when Sandra was finished. "Zeke and Deidre thought you were Axel and told you that?"

"It's true. They're going to cause trouble for the Secret Singer, and ruin the singing contest for everyone," Sandra repeated.

"Don't worry. I'll tell Axel about this when I see him at lunch," Hugo promised. And as if he couldn't resist, he added, "And you're right. You are sensitive to certain smells. You do know a rat when you smell one!"

"Very funny, Hugo. But I'll get someone to help us, too," Sandra said as they parted. When she was alone, she fingered her necklace. "And I think I know just who to talk to…"

That afternoon, when Ezekiel, Zoe, and Sandra were back at Orillia Castle, the first thing Sandra did was call out, "Ambre!"

"Princess Sandra!" the cat meowed, scampering up to her. "I've been cooped up all day. Let's go outside!"

"That's the plan, buddy. But before you can play, we've got a problem," Sandra said as she picked him up and carried him outside.

"What's wrong?" Ambre asked as Sandra set him down on a table in the gazebo.

"Let's find Spike, then I'll tell both of you together," Sandra replied as she heard barking. _'Speak of the devil,'_ she mused.

"Ambre! Ambre! Let's play Chase the Kitty!" Spike said as he ran up to them. He started jumping up and down on his short legs when he saw Sandra. "Princess! Let's chase Ambre!"

"Let's not and say we did," Sandra replied. "Spike, I need you to listen very carefully. You too, Ambre…"

"That's not fair!" Ambre hissed when Sandra was finished. "These people never did anything to Zeke!"

"As I'm sure you're aware, Zeke doesn't like anything fun," Sandra reminded him. "He criticizes me and Zoe for singing, and we're not hurting anybody! And like we say to him, isn't this the point of karaoke, to butcher the original version?"

"Let's tell Zoe. She'll tell him not to do this," Spike suggested.

"No, that won't work. You can talk to her thanks to the pendant Lucinda made, but Zeke won't believe her when she tells him that the dog told her to tell him not to do this. Besides, she's closer to Zeke than I am," Sandra had always been the quiet one of the family. She kept to herself, but she knew when to speak up.

Spike licked her. "Okay, but what can we do?"

"We can keep an eye on Zeke. I heard Sir Avery say that Princess Deidre and her family are coming here tonight," Ambre suggested.

"That could work. You two could spy on them and tell me what they say, then I'll tell Hugo and Axel when I see them tomorrow," Sandra agreed. "Spike, since you're Zeke's dog, you can go into his room, but Ambre, you'll have to stay in the hall, since for some reason Zeke says he's allergic to cats."

"Lies! All lies!" Ambre hissed.

"I know; it's all in his head," Sandra agreed. "Still, we can't risk Zeke sneezing his head off when he and Deidre are together. Spike, you'll have to listen to them very carefully, then tell Ambre and me what they say."

"I'll do my best, Princess," Spike promised.

When Queen Gena and Princess Deidre entered the throne room, Queen Patricia saw the dirty look her middle daughter gave her guests and whispered, "Sandra, behave yourself."

"I will if Deidre does," Sandra muttered as she motioned for Spike and Ambre to follow Ezekiel and Deidre.

The evening went off without a hitch. Sandra stayed out of Deidre's way by helping in the kitchen. She wrote down everything Spike told her as he passed.

When Deidre and Queen Gena had gone, Spike and Ambre met in Sandra's room with her. "Great work, you two," Sandra said as she showed them her notes. "Zeke's working behind the scenes doing technical stuff, of course. He'll sneak Deidre backstage after she sings, since every performer gets to sit in the front and watch the show, and during the final bow is when they strike."

"I heard you practice the song you're doing with Prince Hugo. You'll do great," Ambre purred.

"Yeah, you'll get them…and you'll get Zeke and Deidre," Spike agreed.

"I hope so," Sandra replied. Tomorrow, she'd get together with Hugo and Axel during the morning study hall, and show them her notes, and hopefully the three of them could work together and save the show.

**Author's Notes:**

**Sir Eric, Queen Patricia, Miss Kelly, and Sir Avery are all my own characters.**

**Desmond's noticing that James was blushing during and after the song was taken from the Ländler** **scene from _The Sound of Music_.**

**Billy Joel's _Just the Way You Are_ is not mine. And thanks to everyone who suggested this song for James and Vivian. I know there's another song with the same name by Bruno Mars, but when I heard it, I didn't like it as much as Billy Joel's classic version.**

**Vivian's memory about the "Dream Castle" project is from The Shy Princess.**

**Zandar's "Way to go, lover boy!" is from Disney's _Hunchback of Notre Dame_.**

**Queen Gena, Diedre's mother, belongs to Niagara14301.**

**Queen Patricia telling Princess Sandra to behave herself and Sandra replying "I will if Deidre does" is based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.**


	6. The Singing Contest

**Finally, the day you've all been waiting for: The Singing Contest!**

At last, the day of the singing contest arrived. The talent show was happening the next day, and Lucinda was excited about her upcoming performance. At breakfast that morning, she told everyone that each of the performers who got a high score in the singing contest would have an encore presentation after the talent show.

When he heard the news, James was anxiously pacing around his room. He hadn't even _thought_ about an encore performance; he just wanted to get through this one! His mask and squire outfit were in his bag, which he left at school, now he was going to go there alone and get ready. And to make sure he didn't lose his voice this time, he rested it, drank plenty of water, avoided milk, didn't sing endlessly, and decided that he wasn't going to speak at all until he got to school. Finally, when he saw everyone leave, he took his own flying horse, and took a shortcut to the school.

When he got to Royal Prep, he met up with Desmond and Zandar. The previous evening, he had given them messages to meet him here before the show, and he told them that he was the mystery performer. His friends had been excited to learn that, and they promised to keep his secret.

"I can do this...I can do this..." James murmured as he changed into his squire outfit, then started pacing back and forth. He suddenly froze at the thought of singing in public again. He looked ready to run out the door and get out of there. "I can't do this…I can't do this…"

"James, you can do this. You'll be great. And don't you remember when you, Sofia, and I faced Miss Nettle and you were giving me that pep talk about being brave?" Desmond asked as he passed him for the fourth time.

"Y-yeah. 'The fairies say we should always be royal. And what's more royal than being brave?' But I'm not climbing a rising rose stalk or facing a crazy fairy, Desmond!" James protested.

"Maybe not, but being brave is when you're scared of something and you do it anyway," Desmond replied. "You say you're scared of singing in public, but even though you're in a disguise, you're going to do it just the same. If that's not being brave, I don't know what is."

"You're right, Des. I can do this...hey, Zandar, can you help me with my mask?" James asked.

"Sure," Zandar took it and went behind him. He tied the mask on, but as a joke, tied the cloth over James' mouth.

When he didn't feel the cloth around his eyes, James tried to speak, but the gag prevented it. He frowned, cleared his throat, and pointed at the cloth, indicating that something was wrong.

Desmond undid the cloth and tied it in the right place. "How's that?" he asked.

"Thanks, Desmond. Zandar, I'm nervous enough about singing in front of everybody without you pulling a stunt like that," James said as he felt the mask in the right place.

"Sorry, James, just trying to loosen you up," Zandar grinned. "But if you're nervous, just do what I do when I have to make a presentation: picture the audience in their underwear!"

"Or you could just imagine one fully clothed person in the room when you sing," Desmond suggested, he and James both shuddering at some of the mental images that Zandar produced.

They were distracted from any more unpleasant thoughts when they heard the next entry, Hugo and Sandra. They actually sounded nice together. Afterward, Sofia and Amber did the song that James had heard them sing, and they got a really good reaction from the audience, especially from Ruby and Jade, whom Sofia had invited to the show as well.

"Thank you, Princess Sofia and Princess Amber. Now, everyone, we have a very special performer tonight," they heard Miss Flora's voice. "He's promised to reveal his identity at a later time, but now, see if you can identify the Secret Singer."

"That's my cue. Wish me luck," James murmured.

"Good luck, James," Desmond said.

"Go get 'em, buddy," Zandar said when James walked onstage.

When the song started, James took a deep breath, imagined that Vivian was the only one in the room, and began to sing.

_I don't take my whiskey to extremes  
Don't believe in chasin' crazy dreams_

When she heard the song begin, Amber gasped. She hadn't heard this song in a long time. All the memories of it came back as she poked her father's arm. "Daddy! Is...is that-?!"

_My feet are planted firmly on the ground  
But darlin', when you come around_

As he watched the singer descend the stairs, Roland gasped as well. "You're right, Amber! That's the very song!" He got a good look at who was singing, and thought proudly, but still with a little surprise, _'And he's really singing it!'_

When James reached the chorus, he came up to Vivian, took her in his arms, and danced with her.

_I get carried away by the look by the light in your eyes  
Before I even realize the ride I'm on, baby, I'm long gone  
I get carried away, nothin' matters but bein' with you  
Like a feather flyin' high up in the sky on a windy day  
I get carried away_

"That's the song that James and Amber were supposed to sing?" Miranda asked.

"Yes it is," Roland nodded. "I haven't thought about that song in years. I've heard James sing songs by that artist in his room, but he always avoided that one."

By the time James reached the second verse, he and Vivian both had tears in their eyes. Vivian had never had anyone serenade her before, and she was smiling widely. She looked up, and saw the tears escaping from behind his mask.

_It might seem like an ordinary night  
The same ol' stars, the same ol' moon up high  
But when I see you standin' at your door  
Nothing's ordinary anymore_

_I get carried away by the look by the light in your eyes  
Before I even realize the ride I'm on, baby, I'm long gone  
I get carried away, nothin' matters but bein' with you  
Like a feather flyin' high up in the sky on a windy day  
I get carried away_

_'I did it, Mom,'_ James thought during the instrumental break, smiling as he raised his tear-filled eyes to the ceiling as he imagined his mother listening from Heaven. _'I finally sang for you.'_

_I get carried away nothin' matters but bein' with you  
Like a feather flyin' high up in the sky on a windy day  
I get carried away_

_Carried away_

James escorted Vivian to her seat, they embraced, and as he broke away, he kissed her hand.

As he took a bow, he saw that everyone was on their feet, giving him wild applause and a standing ovation.

The fairies were also wiping their eyes as they came up. "What a splendid performance!" Miss Fauna smiled.

"Absolutely wonderful!" Miss Merriweather agreed.

"Well, I know who's going to be performing tomorrow," Miss Flora said. "Well done, Secret Singer! Now, would all our performers come and take a bow?"

Meanwhile, Prince Ezekiel had motioned for Princess Deidre to follow him. When James was called up to take his bow, she knocked the hat off his head and ripped his mask off as she said, "Let's see who you really are!"

The moment James felt her take the mask off, he picked up his hat, held it to his face, and sprinted out of the room before anyone could recognize him or blink.

He made it to the door and ran outside, all the while being chased by comments such as "Oh, don't cry, _Secret Singer__!"_ or "George Strait sings that song better than you do_, Secret Singer__!"_ or "Are you going to blush during your song again, _Secret Singer__?"_ or "Can you sing in public _now, Secret __Singer?"_ or the one that really scared him: "I know who you are, _Secret Singer__!"_ He jumped onto his horse and flew off with taunts still following him.

When James was gone, they heard "Princess Deidre! Prince Ezekiel! Come here this instant!"

Ezekiel and Deidre turned around and saw Miss Flora, followed by Hugo, Axel...and Sandra. "Surprise!" Axel shouted.

"Or should he say, surprise!" Sandra whispered after she cleared her throat.

"Wait...Sandra...that was you?!" Deidre gasped, remembering the whispered conversation she and Ezekiel had with the person they thought was Axel.

"That's right. I told Hugo about this as soon as I left you. He told Axel, and I told someone else to keep an eye on you," Sandra said.

"First, Princess Deidre, you are disqualified from the competition!" Miss Flora turned to the older princess. "Second, you and Prince Ezekiel are in serious trouble!"

"Thanks for warning us, Sandra," Hugo smiled at her as they watched Miss Flora lead Zeke and Deidre away.

"Any time. So, karaoke at your place or my place this weekend?" Sandra suggested.

"It doesn't matter, but either way I'll be there," Hugo said as he kissed her hand.

"Me too!" Axel agreed. "But where did all that information come from?"

"I have to protect my sources, but let's just say some friends told me," Sandra replied, thinking that Hugo and Axel wouldn't believe her about Spike and Ambre talking.

Meanwhile, James had landed his horse in Enchancia Castle's courtyard, and sprinted past Baileywick, who had taken a week off to care for his sick brother Nigel. Behind him were Sir Bartelby and Aunt Tilly, who were coming back to the castle to rest after another "whiz-bang" adventure.

"What was that all about?" Sir Bartelby squeaked as he heard James' door slam shut.

"It looked like James, and he looked rather upset about something," Baileywick observed.

"What do you suppose happened?" Sir Bartelby wondered.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Tilly replied. "Let's ask him."

Baileywick led the way to James' room, and knocked on the door. "James?" When he didn't get a response, he opened the door.

James was once again huddled on his bed in tears. "Go away…Please, just leave me alone…" he sobbed, dejectedly.

"James, what happened? I heard that Royal Prep's singing competition was today. I'm sorry I missed it. Did you lose?" Tilly asked as she took him in her arms.

"Please don't _ever_ mention singing again…" James groaned. "It's bad enough I lost my voice when I had to sing at Mom's funeral, but now when I got a second chance, it was ruined!"

"James? Is everything all…you were the Secret Singer?" Roland asked as he came in and recognized the squire outfit and heard the conversation.

James raised tear-filled eyes to his father. "Surprise…" he said sadly.

"You were in a disguise? Why?" Amber asked.

"You know I can't sing in public. I tried to impress Vivian with this Secret Singer disguise, but it backfired on me…" James said as he leaned against Tilly.

"Well, doesn't this little scenario sound familiar?" Tilly said as she looked over at Sir Bartelby.

"What little scenario?" James asked.

"That's right. You weren't there when Sir Bartelby was trying to woo me," Tilly said, then she told him her story. "As you recall, you decided to give Sir Finnegan another chance after our little pep talk. Meanwhile, Sir Bartelby wouldn't speak whenever he and I were together. But he had this idea that he could use someone else to speak for him and try to win my affection."

"I remember that," Sofia agreed. "Sir Bartelby wrote that poem, and Sir Maxwell turned it into a song and sang it behind a bush while Sir Bartelby pretended to sing it to you."

"That's right, Sofia. Later, Sir Bartelby tried to dance with me, and I heard his voice for the first time when we slipped on the water. Afterward, when he presented me with the Shield of Valor, he finally told me the truth about his feelings for me, and everyone heard him speak," Tilly continued.

"But this is different. I was doing my own singing, and someone ruined it. Something bad always happens when I try to sing in public," James protested.

"Not always," Amber said as she rubbed his back. "I heard about the duet you had with Vivian in your music class, and everyone loved it."

"But someone pushed me into doing that," James protested. "I didn't ask to sing with Vivian."

"But she still loved singing with you," Sofia said to him.

"Maybe I should just stop singing, period. It just doesn't work for me anymore," James sighed as Miranda took him from Tilly to embrace him herself.

"Don't say that, James," Roland urged as James buried his face in Miranda's shoulder and started crying softly again. "Singing is something you always loved."

Suddenly, as the family was comforting him, Sofia's amulet started to glow. A woman with long blonde hair, who looked a lot like Amber, but was obviously older, appeared before them. She had a light green dress and matching shoes. She smiled at Roland, James, and Amber. "Hello, Roland. It's good to see you again. Amber, you've grown so beautiful. James, your song was just wonderful tonight," she greeted them.

"Melinda?!" Roland gasped.

_"Mother?!"_ Amber had to hold onto Baileywick's arm to keep from fainting.

"Mom," James looked up. "I'm sorry I failed you again."

"Oh, my poor James," Melinda sighed as she took him in her arms. "You didn't fail me. Losing your voice was an accident, and I'm so sorry that you've been so unhappy about it. And I heard you say that you were never going to sing in public again."

"I had to sometimes. You know, for school," James admitted. "I'm sorry. I know I promised I wouldn't sing in public anymore, but…"

"James, listen to me," Melinda said firmly. "I heard you promise me you'd never sing in public again, but _I never held you to it_."

"I told you so…several times," Amber said quietly.

Melinda glanced at her, then she turned back to James. "James, listen. Your voice is a precious gift. Use it. You have the gift of song, as I had in life."

"She's right. You always sound so nice when you sing," Sofia commented, recalling the day she learned his secret about singing. She was also thinking _'Wow, my amulet summons queens as well as princesses!'_

"I thought Vivian wouldn't like it if she heard me again. I think the whole class saw me acting all weird when we sang that other song," James admitted.

"It's perfectly normal to be shy around girls," Melinda assured him. "Your father acted the same way when he first courted me."

"So…I can sing to her?" James asked, smiling a little as he saw Roland looking at the floor, having suddenly found everyone's shoes very interesting.

"Yes. Sing your song when you see her, and tell her how you feel about her," Melinda replied. "She'll love you as much as I do."

"People were telling me that all the time, tell the truth about how I feel about her, be myself," James mused.

"You probably heard what they had to say, but I know you must have wanted to figure it out for yourself," Sofia added.

"Yeah…" James admitted. "But what can I do now? I don't think anyone saw my face, but I don't want to get anyone else in trouble."

"You won't get anyone in trouble; Ezekiel and Deidre brought this on themselves," Amber assured him. "Besides, you covered your face right away, so nobody knew who you were. But maybe to help you when you unmask yourself tomorrow, we'll pretend to be surprised."

"Amber!" Sofia chided.

"No, we won't do that, but we will be proud of you, just like we are right now," Roland agreed. "And if I might make a suggestion about the song you do, and how you reveal it to Vivian…"

**Author's Notes**

**"He rested it, drank plenty of water, avoided milk, didn't sing endlessly, and decided that he wasn't going to speak until he got to school." Avoided _milk_? Yes, that's what I said. When I was in choir, my teacher told us not to drink milk before performing. Otherwise, mucus built up in our throats and we'd be coughing and clearing our throats all the time. It sounds gross, I know, but the teacher gave us good tips for singing.**

**Desmond's pep talk was based on the one he received in "Make Way for Miss Nettle."**

**The song James sang, _Carried Away_, was by George Strait, as stated by Prince Ezekiel**

**Zandar's "Go get 'em, buddy" was what Lightning McQueen said to Mater in Cars 2**

**Tilly's backstory of how she and Sir Bartelby met was from The Silent Knight**


	7. Lucinda's Revenge

When Lucinda had heard about what Ezekiel and Deidre had done at the singing contest, she was livid. Nobody, but _nobody_ did something like that to someone in _her_ family without suffering consequences. In her and Sofia's workshop, she was looking through some of her spellbooks. "Turn them into frogs? No…I did something like that before I became a good witch. Maybe an Unforgivable Curse…Sure, if I want to spend the rest of my life in Azkaban, even though I think they deserve one! Hex them into next week…maybe, if I can find one good enough! They deserve everything I can dish out!"

"Lucinda?" she heard Sofia call her name.

"I've just gone into my angry witch-slash-angry-younger-sister mode, Sofia. Are you _sure_ you want to talk to me right now?" Lucinda growled.

"I'll risk it. I'm as angry as you are, but maybe we can find a better way to get revenge on Ezekiel and Deidre," Sofia replied.

"Like what?" Lucinda asked.

"I'll think of something. But promise me you won't go looking for trouble," Sofia said as she started sorting through some potion ingredients, then writing down what they needed to restock.

"Sure, no trouble at all," Lucinda replied, crossing her fingers behind her back.

The next day, however, was another story. Lucinda approached Ezekiel and Deidre as they were on their way to the detention room for their one day in-school suspension. "You two ruined The Secret Singer's performance!" she accused them. Since she didn't have to perform at the singing contest the previous night, she had stayed home and practiced her magic. However, Sofia had told her everything, but she agreed to keep James' identity a secret.

"People should leave singing to the professionals," Ezekiel said loftily.

"Amateur singers just want to have fun when they sing songs done by professionals! Aren't you even the _least_ bit sorry for what you did?" Lucinda demanded, whipping her wand out.

"Oh, come on, witch, we were only having fun!" Deidre sneered.

"Oh, really? Well, let's have some fun right now! And I'll be singing as I have it!" Lucinda snapped, and waved her wand. Music started playing, and she began to sing as she aimed her wand at them.

_She was a woman on a mission  
Here to drown him and forget him  
So I set her up again to wash him down_

There was a flash of light, and when it faded, two weasels were standing where Ezekiel and Deidre had just been.

_She had just about succeeded  
When the low-down, no-good, cheating, good-for-nothing  
Came strutting through the crowd  
Oh, he was laying it on so thick  
He never missed a lick  
Professing his never ending love  
Oh but I never will forget when she stood up and said  
So, I guess you think, we're gonna kiss and make up, don't you  
That's when she said_

_"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Lucinda whispered as she levitated them into the air, then started slamming them around the hall as she sang the chorus.

_Why don't you kiss, kiss this  
And I don't mean on my rosy red lips  
Hey me and you, we're through  
And there's only one thing left for you to do  
You just come on over here  
One last time  
Pucker up and close your eyes  
And kiss this goodbye  
_

The noise had attracted the attention of many students and teachers. They knew something bad had happened at last night's singing contest, and they were happy that someone was doing something about it.

_Well, the next thing I recall  
She had him backed against the wall  
Chewing him like a bulldog on a bone_

"Get 'em, Lucinda!" Hugo shouted; he had hated it when Zeke booed him and Sandra during their performance. He knew family should be supportive, not mean to each other. Sure, he and his eighteen-year-old brother fought sometimes, but they always made up, and treated each other with respect.

_She was putting him in his place  
And I mean right up in his face  
Dragging him down a list of done-me-wrongs  
It was just about now  
That the crowd gathered around  
They'd come to watch him pay for his every sin  
She called him everything under the sun  
And when we thought that she was done  
She reared back and she let him have it again, man  
She said, she said  
_

Lucinda grinned, and motioned for everyone to join the chorus.

_Why don't you kiss, kiss this  
And I don't mean on my rosy red lips  
Hey me and you, we're through  
And there's only one thing left for you to do  
You just come on over here  
One last time  
Pucker up and close your eyes  
And kiss this_

Hearing the singing, the fairies came into the hall, only to find everyone whooping and cheering. Their curiosity turned into shock when they saw two weasels being flung around the halls by one of the students, who was acting as if she didn't have a care in the world.

_Kiss, kiss this  
And I don't mean on my rosy red lips  
Hey me and you, we're through  
And there's only one thing left for you to do  
You just come on over here  
One last time  
Pucker up and close your eyes  
And kiss this goodbye_

_Hey, kiss this goodbye_  
_See ya_

"Princess Lucinda! What are you doing?!" Miss Fauna gasped over the applause.

"Practicing for my performance tonight," Lucinda smiled innocently.

"Practicing...Are those _students?!_" Miss Flora cried out.

"Actually, they're weasels," Lucinda said with a grin at her own joke.

"No!" Flora used her wand to turn Ezekiel and Deidre back to normal.

"Miss Flora, I thought you were turning them back to normal, but they're still weasels," Lucinda said sweetly, but she glared at Ezekiel and Deidre, who both bolted into the safe detention room. She also nodded as Sandra gave her a thumbs-up for the puns before she went back into her class. She added mentally, _'And again, Sandra, thank you for helping me with creative writing!'_

"Princess Lucinda, I understand that you are angry about what happened last night. But we do _not_ use Transfiguration as a punishment!" Miss Flora told her when it was just Miss Fauna, Miss Merriweather, Lucinda, and herself in the hall, "You will be allowed to perform in the talent show tonight, but you will also be serving detention after school today. And it will be in our office, away from Ezekiel and Deidre."

"Fair enough," Lucinda nodded, then when Flora was out of earshot, she whispered, "Can I still dump a bucket of slime on them?"

"You can dump anything you want on them, dear," Miss Merriweather assured her.

"Merriweather!" Miss Fauna scolded, but she couldn't help smiling.

"I happen to like the song James sang last night. I recall that Prince Philip sang that to Princess Aurora during their wedding," Merriweather replied.

When Lucinda got back to the castle later that afternoon, Sofia was waiting for her. "You weren't going to get into trouble, huh? I heard about that weasel stunt you pulled," she greeted her.

"Hello to you too, Sof," Lucinda tried to smile, but she shrank back under Sofia's disapproving frown. Instead, she carefully asked, "What did Mom and Dad say about that?"

"They don't know about it. All I told them was that you were doing some extra practice at school and you'd be a little late," Sofia replied. "And I won't tell them that you were really being punished."

"Thanks, Sof," Lucinda smiled. As she prepared her potions and wand, she grinned as she pictured Ezekiel and Deidre, covered with fur, and being slammed against doors and walls. She also couldn't resist giving a soft cackle under her breath.

That night, during her performance, she called Ezekiel and Deidre up as her assistants. After playing a few magical tricks on them, such as having them step into a puzzle box and deliberately putting them back together in the wrong places (like Deidre's head on Ezekiel's body, or Ezekiel's arms where Deidre's legs would be), she said, "Now, since you two were such good sports, and because I'm being so nice, I'm giving you a choice at a prize. You can have this large pot of gold, or you can have the prize behind the curtain."

"Gold?" Deidre looked interested.

"Don't fall for it, Deidre; she's just trying to trick you," Ezekiel scoffed. "We're taking the curtain."

"Are you sure?" Lucinda asked.

"Yes. We'll take the curtain," Deidre agreed.

"All right," Lucinda opened the curtain, and it revealed nothing but a rope.

"Let's pull it," Deidre whispered.

"Ready, everyone?" Lucinda asked. When the audience nodded, she had Ezekiel and Deidre stand together. "Pull the rope together on the count of three."

"One…two…THREE!" everyone shouted.

When Ezekiel and Deidre pulled the rope, they were instantly covered in sticky green slime.

"You filthy witch!" Deidre screamed.

"I'm not filthy, you are," Lucinda smiled sweetly. "And besides, I _did_ offer you gold. Of course, it was leprechaun gold, so it would disappear after a few minutes, but I'm not the one who picked the prize!" She then smirked. "And now, consider us even, and The Secret Singer avenged."

"Brilliant! Thanks, Lucinda!" James laughingly whispered from backstage as he watched everything unfold.

Even the fairies couldn't keep straight faces at that act. "Princess Lucinda, that was terrible!" Miss Flora tried to look stern, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"If by terrible, you mean terribly funny, then yes, it was!" Lucinda grinned. "But the bucket wasn't supposed to cover them in slime."

"It wasn't?" Miss Merriweather asked.

"No! It was supposed to cover them in stinky swamp water…This'll teach me to check my ingredients…I had a feeling that 'eye of newt' was past its prime!"

As everyone laughed, Deidre screamed in humiliation and stormed off with Ezekiel right behind her.

"Thank you, Princess Lucinda," Miss Fauna giggled as Lucinda left the stage. "Now, for his second song tonight, please welcome back The Secret Singer."

With newly restored confidence, James was smiling as he walked out onstage. He was ready to do the right thing and tell Vivian the truth about how he felt about her. He just hoped she liked the way he delivered the message.

**Author's Notes**

**First and foremost, do not _ever_ get Lucinda mad at you! Her revenge, while funny, is not pretty.**

**Turning Ezekiel and Deidre into weasels and bouncing them around was based on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret. (And they were acting like weasels, being so sneaky).**

**Miss Flora's conversation with Lucinda after the punishment was also taken from Goblet of Fire.**

**Disappearing leprechaun gold is also from Goblet of Fire.**

**_Wingardium Leviosa _****is another Harry Potter spell.**

**Lucinda wanting to turn Ezekiel and Deidre into frogs was taken from The Little Witch, where she actually did that, but instead she did that to a kid's shoes.**

**The use of an Unforgivable Curse on a person, as Lucinda knows, can earn the caster a one-way ticket to Azkaban, as stated in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.**

**_Kiss Thi_****sby Aaron Tippin, the song Lucinda sang as she bounced the weasels all over the place, is not mine.**

**Eye of newt is one of the ingredients from the witches' brew in _Macbeth._**


	8. The Reveal

**Hello everyone! Well, this is the moment you've all been waiting for! Will James unmask himself? How will Vivian react? And who wins the singing contest? There's only one way to find out!**

As he watched Lucinda unleash her revenge on Ezekiel and Deidre that night, James remembered what had happened after he had run off. Thanks to the fairies, who according to Sofia, had been quick with a forgetting spell, the audience would only remember him taking a bow, but not the surprise attack or him running off (And Amber was right; he had been quick to cover his face before anyone recognized him or knew what was going on). He also recalled his mother's, Sir Finnegan's, and Aladdin's words: Be yourself and tell the truth about how you feel. Hopefully Vivian would like the song, and be understanding about him wanting to try to tell her how he felt while wearing a disguise, but what his mother had guessed was right too: he had wanted to figure it out for himself. It took a little public fright, which of course had been removed from the public's memory, but James was determined to do the right thing.

_'Okay, enough of this,'_ he thought, laughing as Ezekiel and Deidre ran out of the auditorium dripping with slime, then he tried to calm himself down. _'Time to focus…Calm down…Don't laugh; what I'm about to do is serious…deep breath…Vivian's the only one in the room…'_

James tried not to look nervous this time. Thanks to his father's suggestion, he had the perfect song for Vivian. He had also sent it to the fairies the night he ran off, so they had the music for him, and he apologized about the last-minute song. (In reality, they had received so many songs that they thought it had been misplaced, and they apologized to him for forgetting it; he decided not to push his luck and correct them.) The song James was doing was actually a song that Roland himself had sung to both his mother, and Miranda. (James figured that if his father had such great luck with this song in the past, he would too. And when she heard about the origins of the song that morning, Miranda wasn't jealous or upset; she was touched that Roland would sing this to her; besides, she'd always been a huge Kenny Rogers fan). He remembered Desmond's pep talk about being brave, and he also followed the advice he gave himself last night, which had worked. He had even given himself a cue as to when he should unmask himself. This time, however, he had Desmond in charge of the mask. "It's not that I don't trust you, Zandar; it's just…you know!" he told him as Desmond tied the mask, which Sofia had easily repaired after Deidre had ripped it off, around his eyes.

Recalling the little prank he played on James last night, Zandar grinned. "I know. And again, I'm sorry; I'm just trying to help. You really did a great job last night."

When he came onstage, he caught his father's eye. Roland nodded encouragingly, smiled proudly, and gave him a discreet thumbs-up. James smiled back and inconspicuously returned the gesture. When the music started, he saw Vivian watching him. He took a deep breath, and began to sing.

_Lady, I'm your knight in shining armor and I love you_  
_You have made me what I am and I am yours_

James made his way to Vivian again. He knelt before her and took her hand. _My love, there's so many ways I want to say I love you_  
_Let me hold you in my arms forever more_

_You have gone and made me such a fool_  
_I'm so lost in your love_  
_And oh, we belong together_  
_Won't you believe in my song_

He rose, took her in his arms, and danced with her again. He also grinned when he saw Vivian smiling with tears in her eyes for this second serenade.

_Lady, for so many years I thought I'd never find you_  
_You have come into my life and made me whole_  
_Forever let me wake to see you each and every morning_  
_Let me hear you whisper softly in my ear_

_In my eyes I see no one else but you_  
_There's no other love like our love_  
_And yes, oh yes, I'll always want you near me_  
_I've waited for you for so long_

He broke away from her, knowing that the time was coming up for the big reveal. He also smiled when he saw that Vivian was holding her breath.

_Lady, your love's the only love I need_  
_And beside me is where I want you to be_  
_'Cause, my love, there's something I want you to know_

Before the song ended, James took his hat and mask off so he could sing to her without a disguise. _You're the love of my life, you're my lady_

Once again, James was greeted with wild applause and a standing ovation, but he didn't hear it. He only had eyes for the girl in front of him. "I love you, Vivian. And I'm sorry I couldn't tell you how I felt before," he murmured as he took her in his arms.

"Oh, James!" Vivian whispered as they embraced. She then smiled. "I can understand about being unable to talk in public. Remember the Dream Castle project and I was the one who had trouble talking? I sang too!"

"Well, everyone, I believe I know who wins for the best performance in this year's singing contest!" Miss Flora smiled as she and the fairies came onstage later and the trophies had been handed out for the different categories. "Let's give a big hand to The Secret Singer, better known as Prince James!" **(A/N: I think we all saw this coming!)**

"James, you were wonderful!" Sofia cheered as the fairies presented him with a large trophy.

"Thanks, Sof," James smiled at her.

"She's right, James. That was an incredible performance…oooh, pretty trophy! Can I hold it?" Amber asked.

"Nice try, Amber; you and Sofia got first place in the duets category, and that's good enough," James joked, looking at the smaller trophies his sisters were holding. He turned back to Vivian. "But you're the best thing that happened to me, both tonight, and last night. You're not a prize to be won, but you're really special to me."

Vivian smiled as she and James embraced. James smiled at her, and looked over at his family. As he met their eyes, they were applauding him for his sincerity as well as his performance. He looked at the ceiling, and felt his eyes fill with tears as he murmured, "Thanks, Mom."

"What are you looking at?" Vivian asked, following his gaze.

James smiled and blinked his tears back. "Just some inspiration for this performance," and he softly sang,  
_She's my inspiration lady_  
_My anticipation lady_  
_She's my inspiration all the way._

**Author's Notes**

**The final scoring for the singing competition went like this:**  
**Solo**  
**1\. Hildegarde (_I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me_ by Exposé/_Bless the Broken Road_ by Rascal Flatts)**  
**2\. Zandar (_The Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniels Band_/_Red Solo Cup_ by Toby Keith)**  
**3\. Unknown Prince (_The Thunder Rolls_ by Garth Brooks/_Ghost Riders in the Sky_ by Johnny Cash)**

**Duet**  
**1\. Sofia/Amber (_Your Song_ by Elton John/_The Greatest Man I Never Knew_ by Reba McIntire)**  
**2\. Hugo/Sandra (_Compass_ by Lady Antebellum/_Christian Island_ by Gordon Lightfoot)**  
**3\. Desmond/Cleo (_Elephant Love Medley_ from _Moulin Rouge_/_I've Had the Time of My Life_ from _Dirty Dancing_)**

**Small Group**  
**1\. Jun/Mae/Leena/Maya (_Let it Go _from_ Frozen_/_Landslide_ by the Dixie Chicks)**  
**2\. Jin/Khalid/Unknown Prince (_Greased Lightning_ from _Grease_/_No Matter What_ by Boyzone, which was also in Andrew Lloyd Webber's _Whistle Down the Wind_)**  
**3\. Three Unknown Princes (_Wild Thing_ by the Trogs/_Bohemian Rhapsody_ by Queen)**

**Best of Show**  
**James (_Carried Away_ by** **George Strait/Lady by Kenny Rogers)**

**Thanks to Niagara14301 for suggesting _Wild Thing_ and _Elephant Love Medley_**

**Gordon Lightfoot's_ Inspiration Lady _is not mine, nor is Kenny Rogers' _Lady_.**

**Check out all the songs listed here, and all the songs I put in the story, on youtube.**

**We all know about Amber's love of pretty trophies thanks to The Princess Test!**

**I took the idea of James singing in a disguise and the next night unmasking himself during _Lady_ from one of my own unpublished stories.**

**James' "You're not a prize to be won" line is what Aladdin said to Jasmine before the ride on the magic carpet.**

**Oh, and Lucinda's act won second place in the actual talent show!**

**One chapter to go!**


	9. Party Time

That weekend, everyone who had been in the singing contest was at Enchancia Castle for a party. "Well, everyone, what do you say we get this party started?" Roland said as he brought out the karaoke machine.

Everyone whooped in agreement. They were also smirking at the two people who had actually been ordered to attend. Ezekiel and Deidre, as part of their punishment for ruining James' first performance, and for all the heckling they had done during the singing contest, were being forced to act as the DJs, under the watchful eyes of the fairies. They had also been suspended for a week, and would have a week-long detention upon their arrival back at school. And to make sure they didn't boo the crowd this time, Lucinda had put a _Langlock_ spell on them, which would keep their tongues glued to the roofs of their mouths for the entire party. However, they would have to go to the fairies if they wanted to eat or drink, but it was with the understanding that they would remain quiet while the spell was removed, and it would be reactivated when they were done.

"Great! Now, who should start?" Roland asked.

"JAMES! JAMES! JAMES!" the crowd chanted.

"James it is, then!" Roland agreed. He looked around, not seeing him in the crowd. "James, where are you?"

"Don't tell me he ran off a second time," Amber fretted as she searched for her brother. "I thought he _wanted_ to sing in public again!"

"Is he shy?" Zoe asked. She and Madeline had been invited to come along to the party when Hugo, Axel, and Sandra decided to move their karaoke day to Enchancia Castle instead when they heard about it. The two younger girls were excited, because it would be their first time doing karaoke, and they'd start with a favorite song of theirs, _You Belong to Me. _(Axel had been really excited about that, since he told Hugo that he was a huge fan of Taylor Swift, and he was even going to sing with "two of the most promising young writers he'd ever met.")

"No, but Sofia and Amber told me that he wouldn't sing in public for a long time," Sandra explained, not wanting to get into any details right now. She'd let Sofia and Amber tell her everything later.

"He was right beside me a minute ago," Madeline spoke up.

Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them on the stage, and James and Lucinda appeared in a puff of smoke. "Actually, Maddie, I'm right here!" James took the microphone as the music started, "And to quote one of my favorite movies, let's do it!"

_When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar  
You're listenin' to the sound of the American heart_

_"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Lucinda levitated James into the group, and he was crowd-surfed around the room.

_And opry music on a Saturday night  
Brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye_

As he listened to people chanting his name, clapping to the beat, and felt everyone moving him, James laughed as he sang the chorus. _'This is great!'_ he thought, _'Singing in public is fun again!'_

_Sing a song about the Heartland  
The only place I feel at home  
Sing about the way a good man  
Works until the daylight's gone_

Suddenly, as he was singing the chorus, he felt Roland tickle him as he passed by him. "Dad!" he laughingly protested, but he was glad there were people there to catch him as he squirmed under his father's fingers. However, this gave everyone an idea, and they started tickling him as he passed them, so James was laughing as he sang the rest of the song.

_Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night  
Where they still know wrong from right_

"Oh, Rollie, see what you started?" Miranda teased him, stealing a kiss from James as he passed by her.

_Sing a song about the Heartland  
Sing a song about my life_

"I didn't start anything; I tried to catch him and my hands slipped," Roland grinned, recalling the game he used to play with James when he was younger. James would be doing something alone in his room, and he'd be singing, minding his own business, and Roland would quietly enter the room, sneak up on him, and tickle him until he could barely stand it, speak, or sing. Roland would also turn the volume of the music up to cover James' yelling for help. He caught James' eye, and knew that he remembered the game as well. _'The game begins again,'_ he thought with a smile.

"Sure, baby brother…I mean, _king_ baby brother," Tilly teased him from where she and Sir Bartelby were dancing with the crowd.

Meanwhile, some of the boys lifted Vivian up so she could kiss James as he passed her. James blushed again, but he winked at her as he finished the song.

_Sing a song about the Heartland  
The only place I feel at home  
Sing about the way a good man  
Works until the daylight's gone_

Madeline, who was standing next to Vivian, and seeing her wave and smile at James as he passed her, asked, "Vivian, do you like James?"

"Yes, Maddie, I do," Vivian smiled as they set her on the ground again.

_Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night  
Where they still know wrong from right  
Sing a song about the Heartland  
Sing a song about my life_

_Hey_

Everyone was applauding wildly as James jumped down. "James, that was awesome!" Hugo said as he clapped him on the back.

"He's right. That song and your performance were absolutely whiz-bang!" Tilly agreed.

"I'm glad you're singing in public again, James," Amber said as she and Sofia hugged him.

"I like it when you sing with your door open," Sofia chimed in.

"Except for when Dad needs to concentrate on some kind of royal business, or he needs quiet, I'm never singing behind a closed door again," James promised. "And I've decided to join the choir, not just as technical support and piano player, but also to sing."

"That's wonderful!" Sofia cheered as Axel, Madeline, and Zoe went up for their song, which was received very well.

As the party went on, Zoe asked, "Vivian, will you sing with James again?"

"You know what, I think I will," Vivian smiled as she picked up a CD. She looked up as she saw James next to her. "James! I didn't see you there. Will you sing this with me?"

James nodded when he saw the CD. "You bet I will," he smiled, "And if I may say so, that's a brilliant choice you made!"

"Thanks, James," Vivian smiled. She took up her microphone, looking at her favorite secret singer. "Let's do it?"

James grinned back as music once again filled the air for him and the girl of his dreams. "Let's do it!"

The End

**Author's Notes**

**George Strait's_ Heartland_ and all the "Let's do it" lines are from the movie _Pure Country, _which I do not own.**

**_Langlock_**** is another Harry Potter spell that I do not own.**

**Thanks again to blossom2014 for letting me borrow Madeline.**

**Taylor Swift's _You Belong to Me _is not mine.**

**Amber, James, and Sofia's dialogue of liking it when James keeps his door open and him promising never to sing behind a closed door again is based on the last line of _Frozen._**

**Well, everybody, as Collin Raye's song states, _That's My Story! _And to paraphrase what Mr. Burns said in the Simpsons episode _Blood Feud, _"In closing, wonderful readers, I'd like to thank you. I enjoyed writing this story as much as you enjoyed reading it."**


End file.
